Bathroom cabinet with shelf



June 1950 c. A. LAYSTRO M EI'AL 2,511,778

- BATHROOM CABINET WITH SHELF Filed July 17, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1v I I /5' 7 INVENTORg C? 71 119718004 FED %-WWMQTTO F5 Nil 3 c. A.LAYsTRoM rm. 2,511,778

BATHROOM CABINET wrm SHELF June 13, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July1'7, 1945 N \/F N TO RS CfiEL fiiPLamz-eaM l/owfieo 5/64 asa-WWATTORNEYS June13, 1950 c. A. LAYsrRbM El AL 2,511,778

BATHROOM 0 2mm wrru SHELF Filed July 17, 1946 4'Sheets-Sheet s 2/ un u lN V E N TO F2 5 (FBI. 6. lm srea/w Hon HBO E. 51s; as

J n 13,1950 A. LAYSTRQM Em 2,51 718 BATHROOM CABINET WITH SHELF FiledJuly 17, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 4' I N V E'NTCDRS (an. H L/vrsreom How/7E0E. ,5IGZ E6 Z/Z/TQR N Us Patented June 13, 1950 2,51r,g7s BATHROOMoABIfi'E'r wrrn SHELF Carl A. Laystrom, Chicago, and Howard E. Sigler,Argenta, Ill., assignors, by-mesne assignments, to Faries Manufacturing.Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application July 17,1946; Serial No. 684,353

4 Claims. (01. 312- 186) This invention relates to improvements in walli cabinets. While useful in cabinets intended for many purposes it willbe herein described as applied to bathroom wall cabinets wherein anornamental foldable shelf in accordance with this invention is embodiedin sucha cabinet and located below the mirrored door with which such acabinet is usually equipped.

While a large mirrored door makes a useful and convenient closureelement for the main part of a bathroom cabinet, the utility of such acabinet may be greatly enhanced by providing one shelf space below themirror which is accessible at all times without opening the large dooron which such a mirror is mounted. However, the other- Various furtherparticular objects and advantages of the invention will be alluded tohereinafter or will become apparent from a reading of the specificationand examination of the drawings whereinthere is disclosed a preferredembodiment of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings:

Figurelis a front elevation of a cabinet of the character abovedescribed showing the large mirroreddoor in open position and showingthe auxiliary door also swung to open position;

wise neat appearance of the cabinet would be impaired unless the shelfspace below the mirror door were itself provided with a closure element.The present invention provides av hinged closure element for such ashelf space and. this" closure element is so constructed that, whenopen',-' it; constitutes an auxiliary or supplemental"-horizontal shelf.v r r f Accordingly, one of the objects of the invention is to provide awall cabinet having hinged tl'i'erefi on a large door which may carry amirrorjon-itsl outer surface, for closing the major portion ofthejshelving space of the cabinet and anadditional door for closing a shelfspace provided below the large door. f

Another object of the invention is to"provid'e". a cabinet of thecharacterdescribedhavin 'a shelf space below the large mirrored doorandt'a separate closure for said space constructed and: arranged toconstitute a shelf when openedtoj horizontal position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cabinet of the characterdescribed a shelf space below the large mirrored door with aseparatedoor for closing said space so constructed 'and arranged that when suchseparate door is open it provides a supplemental horizontal shelf,andis. adequately braced to maintain its horizontal posie tion. Anotherobject of the invention is to providejin a cabinet of the characterdescribed a horizontally hinged door for closing a shelf space below themain vertically hinged door and providing-means constituting asupplemental horizontal shelf when said lower door isopen;

p 7 50 panel:

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view on the line 11-11 of Figure 1;

Figure Bis an enlarged fragmentary detail view taken on the-lineIII-HIof Figure 4, but omitting allhinges;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing thecombination shelf and ornamental base plate in closed position folded upagainst the face of the cabinet;

Figure 5 is a-plan view of an end portion of the upper channeled memberforming a support for the shelf, showing the inner face of this member;

Figure 6 is a section on the line VI-VI of Figure 5';

Figure '7 is a sectional view on the line VII-VII of Figure 5; v

Figure 8 is a fragmentary plan view showing the inner face of the panelmember constituting a portion of the shelf assembly;

Figure 9 is a sectional view on the line IX-IX of Figure 8;

Figure 10 isa fragmentary sectional view on theline X'X of Figure 8;

Figure 11 is a fragmentary plan view showing the 'inner face of thelower channel member of the shelf assembly;

Figure 12 is a sectional view taken on the line XlI-XII of Figure 11;

' Figure 13is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line XIII-XIIIof Figure 11;

Figure 14 is a fragmentary plan view of one end of the keeper shown inFigure 4;

Figure 15 is an end view of the same keeper; Figure 16 is a perspectiveview of the track member shown in Figures 3 and 4;

Figure 1'7 is a, plan view of one end of the ornamental cover panel;

Figure 18 is an end view of the same part of the Figure 19 is a frontelevation of the lower portion of the cabinet showing the bottomfoldable shelf depicted in Figure 2 folded upwardly to enclose thelowermost shelf space of the cabinet. Figure 19 is on the same scale asFigure 1;

Figure 20 is a sectional view on the same scale as Figure 4 showing thefoldable shelf in lowered position; and

Figure 21 is a sectional view on the line XXI-XXI of Figure 4.

Referring now to the drawings, the cabinet includes a box which willusually be set into the wall of a bathroom, the box having a bottom wallIt, a top wall H, a rear wall I2 and side walls l3 and 14. A channelframe generally indicated as i5 is secured to the outer edge of the boxpreferably by welding and its free edge rests against the wall surfacewhich is indicated by line I6 in Figure 2. This channel frame extendsbeyond and neatly conceals the margins of the hole pro-' vided in thewall for the large box which affords the shelf space, and also providesa rigid support for the vertical hinge which carries the weight of theusual mirrored door. This frame is also employed in the support of thedropshelf herein described.

To one margin of the channel frame is secured a large door H, by meansof a piano hinge 18, preferably carrying a mirror on its outer face. Alink IQ of common construction secured to the box and door as shown inFigure 2 will limit the outward rotation of the door. It will beobserved that this mirrored door extends somewhat above the top marginof the cabinet and its lower edge terminates in a position to encloseall of the cabinet excepting the lowermost shelf space. This shelf spaceis generally indicated as 20,-and employs the bottom wall ll] of thecabinet as a shelf. A spring loaded button 2| mountedon the wall I3 ofthe box is positioned to engage a spring catch 22 on the inside surfaceof the main door to releasably hold the door in closed position.

As indicated, the portion of the cabinet enclosed by the mirrored doormay be provided with a plurality of shelves resting on supports such as23 which are secured upon the opposite side Walls I 3 and i4.

As a closure element for the lowermost shelf space there is provided acombination shelfandhinged door, constructed as follows.

A piano hinge 24 is secured by means of its flanges, preferably bywelding,.to the lower-edge of the channel frame i5 and to the shelf 25.The

right and left ends of the shelf are turned down wardly to form flanges,suchas the flange 26 shown in Figure 2. Mounted near the right and lefthand edges of this shelf are buttons 21 and 28 adapted to be receivedinto sockets 29 and 30 in the cabinet box frame to releasably hold the Apiano hinge 3:2 is secured to the outer edge of the shelf by having oneleaf thereof secured in any suitable manner, for example by spot weldingto the under side of the shelf, and the other leaf of the hinge securedto the flange 33 of the upper box member by means of a plurality ofcountersunk screws 34 which are also employed to secure a reinforcingbar 35 to the under surface of this flange. As shown in Figure 1, thispiano hinge is somewhat shorter than the length of the shelf.

The leaf 36 of this hinge, at its opposite end, is pierced by thebuttons 2! and 28 which engage the sockets 29 and 30 in the cabinetframe to hold the shelf in its raised, closed position.

The lateral sides of the upper box member are provided with side flangessuch as 3'! and 38, whose extremities are bent inwardly to form anadditional flange such as the flange 39 shown in Figure 5 to abutagainst the under surface of the shelf 25.

To the lower end of the outer wall surface 40 ofthe upper box member issecured by means of a plurality of screws 4|, a channel member 42extending substantially the full length of the shelf and having itsupper and lower edges curved as shown in Figures 4, 14 and 15 to engageflanges on. an ornamental cover or panel 43 which concea-ls the spacebetween the upper and lower box members. These flanges, as plainlyindicated in Figure 4, fit snugly behind the curved portions of thechannel member 42 and hold this panel se-' curely in position.

Referring now to the'lower box member, forming a. part of the shelfassembly, this member is attached to the bottom of the cabinet flange [5by means of a piano hinge 44 one leaf of which is secured to the cabinetframe by a plurality of screws 45, while the other leaf of the spring, sshown in Fig. 4' is spot welded to a flange 46 at the bottom of this boxmember. The outer wall surface 41 of the lower 'box member extends underand in sliding engagement with the channel member 42 and the lowerinturned flange '48 of the cover plate 43. It will be noted, however,that the upper inturned flange 49 of the panel 43 does not sliderelatively to the upper box member wall 40.

.In order that the shelf 25 may be rotated downwardly from the positionshown in Figure 4 to the position as shown in Figures 2 and 20, it isapparent that the lower box member in the shelf support must move in atelescopic fashion toward the upper box member when the shelf is beinglowered. Such movement is provided for beneath the cover plate 43 andchannel 42, and it is aided and guided by means of a pair of rigid trackmembers one located at the lefthand and the other at the righthand ofthe shelf support. Such a track member indicated as 50 in Fig. 4 has anoffset foot 5| which is preferably Spot welded to the lower flange 46along with the adjoining leaf of the lower hinge 44. A similar trackmember 52 having a foot 53 is located at the righthand margin of theshelf support, as shown in Fig. 3.

The cover member 43 is anchored to the upper box member and has, inaddition to the inwardly turned flanges 48 and 49., a pair of flangedends at the left and right sides of the shelf support which areindicated in Figure 10 as 54 and 55. These flanged ends embrace theright and left hand margins of the box members forming a part of theshelf support and each flange has an inwardly turned toe such as 56 and51, these toes being designed to slidably embrace the track members, aswell as adjoining edges of the box members. The inwardly turned toes 56and 57 contact the track members 50 and 52 during theopening and closingmovements of the shelf, thus 5. keeping the box members properly alignedwith the track members. a

It may also be observed that the flanges 39 on the upper box member,shown in Figures and 6 also have sliding contact with the track membersfor maintaining the shelf support properly aligned. As shown in Figure5' andi Figure m the lower edge of the flanges 39 are' cut back somedistance from the'corner ofbox memberf-lllso that the toe flanges 55 and51 of the panel may be brought into engagement with the edges of theside walls of the upper box member.

As a further provision. for cooperation with the track members, -thelower flange 55onthe upper box member is cut back at the corners topermit the track members to extend therethrough. Also, Figure 11 showsthat the upper flange 59 on the lower box member is cut back at thecorner 5| to permit the track member to extend therethrough. It will nowbe obvious that cut backs in the flanges are provided wherever necessaryto permit the track members to extend into such box members.

In the operation of the device, when the shelf is closed, as indicatedin Figure 4, the opposite ends of the shelf assembly may be graspedbetween the hands and pulled downwardly, during which time the shelf 25will rotate about the hinge 24, while the assembly of box members willrotate about the hinge M. The lower box member, which may be referred toas 41, will slide upwardly within the confines of the panel member 43,carrying with it the track members at its opposite ends. At the time theshelf 25 comes to rest at a horizontal position, the extremities of thetrack members will come into contact with the reinforcing bar 35, thusforming a rigid brace for the shelf. Due to the coaction between thevarious parts of the shelf support the box members remain in alignmentand will maintain a presentable appearance. As is apparent from Figure2, the supplemental shelf 25 then constitutes a continuation of thebottom wall In of the cabinet and provides a convenient place for toiletarticles such as shaving kits and other toilet articles.

It will now be appreciated that the drop shelf 25 is very firmlysupported in the rigid channel frame IS in such a manner as to sustainnot only normal loading but also severe loads that might inadvertentlybe imposed upon it.

Whenever the horizontally extended shelf 25 is no longer needed, theassembly may readily be closed, concealing whatever is disposed withinthe lowermost shelf compartment 20, while the box members and theirassociated panel member 43 will present an attractive closure for thelowermost shelf space. Preferably this closure will lie substantially inthe plane of the closed door IT, as indicated.

The cabinet herein shown is provided with a channel shaped frame l5entirely surrounding the opening of the shelf space. The mirrored doornot only covers the upper shelf spaces but also overlaps and concealsthe greater portion of this frame. The auxiliary closure assembly, itshould be noted, not only covers the remainder of the shelf space, butalso harmoniously covers all of the frame not covered by the door.

It should now be apparent that the drop shelf herein described may beused advantageously with cabinets other than bathroom cabinets, and suchother uses of the invention are contemplated. The drop shelf is, ofcourse, applicable to a wall cabinet whether the cabinet be recessedinto the claims. a H Having sho n and described our invention, we claim:i 1 I 1'. In awall cabinet, a chamber'providing a shelf and storagespacesthereabove, and-closurez means for covering said-chamber mountedfor;

hinging movement between a vertical closure positionan'd a loweredposition, said closure means including a supplementary shelf having oneedge hinged to the cabinet substantially at the level of said chambershelf for rotation into the same plane therewith, and a combinationcover and support for said supplementary shelf having a pair of upperand lower telescoping members substantially coextensive in width withsaid supplementary shelf, the upper of said members being hinged to theouter edge of said supplementary shelf and the lower being hinged to thecabinet a substantial distance below said cabinet shelf, said memberswhen telescoped serving for rigidly supporting said supplementary shelfin a horizontal position upon the shelf and cover hinges, and whenextended serving to fully enclose the shelf when the latter is in raisedposition.

2. In a wall cabinet, a chamber providing a shelf and storage spacethereabove, a supplementary shelf having one edge hinged to the cabinetsubstantially at the level of the chamber shelf for rotation downwardlyinto the same plane as said chamber shelf, and a combination cover andbrace for said supplementary shelf comprising two telescoping memberseach substantially coextensive in width with said supplementary shelf,one of said members being hinged to the outer edge of said supplementaryshelf and the other being hinged to the cabinet a substantial distancebelow said cabinet shelf, means connecting said members and guiding themfor telescopic movement relatively to each other, and stop means forlimiting the retracting telescopic movement of said members for rigidlysupporting the supplementary shelf in horizontal position.

3. In a wall cabinet, a chamber providing a shelf and storage spacethereabove, a supplementary shelf having one edge hinged to the cabinetsubstantially at the level of said chamber shelf for rotation into thesame horizontal plane therewith, and a combined cover and support forsaid supplementary shelf comprising a pair of box-like memberssubstantially coextensive in width with said shelf, means includingrigid brace members positioned within and connecting said box membersfor telescopic movement, the upper box member being pivoted to the outeredge of said supplementary shelf and the lower box member being pivotedto the cabinet a substantial distance below the chamber shelf, and stopmeans limiting the retractile telescopic movement of said members forsupporting said supplementary shelf in horizontal position, thesupplementary shelf upon being raised against the cabinet being coveredby said box members.

4. In a wall cabinet, a chamber providing a shelf and storage spacethereabove, a supplementary shelf having one edge hinged to the cabinetsubstantially at the level of said chamber shelf for rotation into thesame horizontal plane therewith, a pair of shelf support members each 78 substantially GOEXFBQI'SiVB inIWidth withzsaidwsup REFERENCES CITEDPlemental;shmioneujssandmmbmbemghmged The following references are ofreeord in "the t0 the iouter adge (Of saidaupplementary $116111.- fileof et ip t the other Lmember being clhinged: to (the caibinetazsubstantial distance:belowxsaidxchamber shelf 5 H TISTATESJPATENTSmeansconnecting saidanemhers andFguidingthem4 Number, Name 1 Date forrelative movement toward and from-, ea'ch 4571;204- Patten Feb. 16,.1897

othemincluding-ean a'cmteru panel membenwcon- 1,225,054 ;Rowe11-.,.-...v Maya, 1917 cealing their opposed edge portions, and means,1,556,353 Rqfldding Oot.-\6,"1925 limiting their movement toward. eachother for 10 353,331 :Ha n-'-.-----,-- July 11, 19.44 rigidly supporting:said' supplementary shelf vm: vFFOREHGN PATENTS said membersimhorizontalmositiont CARL Number vCtrmntry JDate 3 R 470,954vvGreat.11811152311-.. ...'A1.1g. 25, I937

